Data cells with drivers and methods of making and operating the same

ABSTRACT

Disclosed are methods and devices, among which is a device that includes a first semiconductor fin having a first gate, a second semiconductor fin adjacent the first semiconductor fin and having a second gate, and a third gate extending between the first semiconductor fin and the second semiconductor fin. In some embodiments, the third gate may not be electrically connected to the first gate or the second gate.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of Invention

Embodiments of the invention relate generally to electronic devices and,more specifically, in certain embodiments, to electronic devices havingdata cells with drivers.

2. Description of Related Art

Many types of electronic devices have a plurality of data cells.Typically, the data cells each include a data element (e.g., a memoryelement, an imaging element, or other device configured to output data,such as various kinds of sensors) and, in some instances, an accessdevice, such as a transistor or diode. Generally, the access devicecontrols access to the data element, and the data element outputssignals indicative of stored or sensed data.

In some electronic devices, the signals from the data elements are tooweak to be reliably sensed. Typically, the data elements are maderelatively small to increase the functionality of electronic devices andlower their cost. One consequence of this practice, though, is that somedata elements output signals that are relatively weak, e.g., of lowintensity. As a result, it can be difficult to use the signals foruseful purposes, such as indicating a digital value (e.g., 0, 1, 00, 01,etc.) or an analog value that is stored or sensed by a data element.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1-29 illustrate steps in a process for forming an access deviceand a driver in accordance with an embodiment of the present technique;

FIG. 30 illustrates a circuit schematic of a single data cell that maybe formed with the access device and the driver illustrated by FIGS.1-29.

FIGS. 30-38 illustrate a process for forming a data element connected tothe access device and the driver of FIGS. 1-30;

FIGS. 39 and 40 illustrate two embodiments of arrays of data cells inaccordance with an embodiment of the present technique;

FIGS. 41-57 illustrate steps in a second embodiment of a process forforming an access device and a driver in accordance with an embodimentof the present technique; and

FIGS. 58-63 illustrate a data cell formed with the access device and thedriver produced by the process of FIGS. 41-57.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a first step in a process for forming an accessdevice and a driver. The process may begin with providing a substrate110. The substrate 110 may include semiconductive materials such assingle-crystal or poly-crystalline silicon, gallium arsenide, indiumphosphide, or other materials with semiconductor properties.Alternately, or additionally, the substrate 110 may include anon-semiconductor body on which an electronic device may be constructed,e.g., a body such as a plastic or ceramic work surface. The term“substrate” encompasses these structures in a variety of stages ofmanufacture, including an unprocessed whole wafer, a partially-processedwhole wafer, a fully-processed whole wafer, a portion of a diced wafer,or a portion of a diced wafer in a packaged electronic device.

The substrate 110 may include an upper doped region 112 and a lowerdoped region 114. The depth of the upper doped region 112 may begenerally uniform over a substantial area of the substrate 110, and theupper doped region 112 may be doped differently from the lower dopedregion 114. For example, the upper-doped region 112 may include an n+material and the lower-doped region 114 may include a p− material orvise versa.

Next, several films may be formed on the substrate 110, as illustratedby FIG. 2. A pad oxide 116 may be formed directly on the upper dopedregion 112. The pad oxide 116 may have a thickness less than 300 Å,e.g., generally near 80 Å. A stop body (e.g., a layer) 118 may be formedon the pad oxide 116. The stop body 118 may include a nitride and it mayhave a thickness less than 300 Å, e.g., generally near 95 Å, but likethe other structures described herein, the stop body 118 is not limitedto these dimensions or materials. A sacrificial body 120 may be formedon the stop body 118. The sacrificial body 120 may be made ofpolysilicon and it may have a thickness between 500 Å and 2,000 Å, e.g.,generally near 1000 Å. A lower masking body 122 may be formed on thesacrificial body 120. The lower masking body 122 may be made of an oxideand it may have a thickness between 500 Å and 2,000 Å, e.g., generallynear 1000 Å. Finally, an upper masking body 124 may be formed on thelower masking body 122. The upper masking body 124 may be made ofcarbon, and it may have a thickness between 1000 Å and 3000 Å, e.g.,generally near 2000 Å. These materials 116, 118, 120, 122 and others maybe formed with chemical-vapor deposition, spun-on coatings, or otherprocesses know in the art.

Next, a column mask 126 may be formed, as illustrated by FIG. 3. (Theterm “column” does not refer to any particular horizontal direction onthe substrate 110 other than a direction that is different from thedirection that subsequently-introduced rows extend.) The column mask 126may include a pattern of lines that define masked regions having a width128 and exposed regions having a width 130. The widths 128 and 130 maybe generally equal to each other and each generally equal to thelithographic-resolution limit (e.g., the photolithographic-resolutionlimit), referred to as “F.” The column mask 126 may have a pitch 132that is generally equal to 2 F. The lines formed by the column mask 126may be generally straight, generally parallel to each other, and maygenerally extend in the X-direction. These lines may be generallycontinuous and generally uniform in the X-direction. In otherembodiments, though, the lines formed by the column mask 126 may haveother shapes, e.g., they may undulate (e.g., up and down, left andright, or both), they may vary in width in the X-direction, or they maybe formed from a plurality of shorter segments.

After forming the column mask 126, a column hard mask 134 may be formed,as illustrated by FIG. 4. The column hard mask 134 may be formed bygenerally-anisotropically etching (e.g., with a directional plasma etch)the portion of the upper masking body 124 and the portion of the lowermasking body 122 that are disposed under the region not covered by thecolumn mask 126. In some embodiments, the etch may stop on or in thesacrificial body 120.

Next, the column mask 126 may be removed, and the column spacers 136 maybe formed on the sidewalls of the column hard mask 134, as illustratedby FIG. 5. The column spacers 136 may be formed by depositing agenerally conformal film (e.g., a film that is of generally uniformthickness on both vertical and horizontal structures) and, then,anisotropically etching that film to remove it from horizontal surfaces,leaving material disposed against generally vertical surfaces on thesubstrate 110. The column spacers 136 may be made of an oxide, and theymay have a width 138 that is less than 100 nm, e.g., less than orgenerally equal to 36 nm. The column spacers 136 may narrow the areaexposed by the column hard mask 134 to a width 140 that is less than orequal to F, e.g., generally equal to or less than ¾ F, ½ F, or ¼ F.

Next, as illustrated by FIG. 6, column isolation trenches 142 may beformed. The column isolation trenches 142 may be formed by generallyanisotropically etching the exposed regions between the column spacers136. The column isolation trenches 142 may have a width 141 thatcorresponds to (e.g., is generally equal to or proportional to) thewidth 140. The column isolation trenches 142 may generally extend in theX-direction and may be generally parallel to each other and generallystraight. The cross-sectional shape of the column isolation trenches 142may be generally uniform in the X-direction. In some embodiments, thecolumn isolation trenches 142 may have a depth 144 that is between 500 Åand 5000 Å, e.g., generally equal to 2500 Å.

After forming the column isolation trenches 142, they may be filledpartially or entirely with a dielectric 146, as illustrated by FIG. 7.The dielectric 146 may be made of a variety of materials, such as anoxide, and it may be lined with a variety of liner films (not shown),such as an oxide liner and a nitride liner. In some embodiments, priorto forming the dielectric 146, the bottom of the column isolationtrenches 142 may be implanted or diffused with a dopant selected tofurther electrically isolate structures on opposing sides of the columnisolation trenches 142.

Next, the substrate 110 may be planarized, as illustrated by FIG. 8.Planarizing the substrate 110 may include etching the substrate 110 orpolishing the substrate with chemical-mechanical planarization.Planarization may include removing both the upper masking body 124 andthe lower masking body 122, and planarization may stop on or in thesacrificial body 120. Additionally, an upper portion of the dielectric146 maybe removed.

Next, the sacrificial body 120 may be partially or entirely removed, asillustrated by FIG. 9. Removing this body 120 may include wet etching ordry etching the substrate 110 with an etch that selectively etches thesacrificial body 120 without removing a substantial portion of theexposed dielectric 146, i.e., with an etch that is selective to thesacrificial body 120. An etch is said to be “selective to” a material ifthe etch removes that material without removing a substantial amount ofother types of material. After removing the sacrificial body 120,generally vertical projections 148 formed by the dielectric 146 mayextend from the substrate 110.

Next, a second of column spacer 150 may be formed on the sidewalls ofthe generally vertical projections 148 of dielectric 146, as illustratedby FIG. 10. As with the previously-described column spacers 136, thesecond column spacers 150 may be formed by depositing a generallyconformal film on the substrate 110 and anisotropically etching the filmuntil the film is generally removed from the horizontal surfaces,leaving the material on the vertical surfaces on the substrate 110. Thesecond column spacers 150 may be made of the same material as thedielectric 146, e.g., an oxide, or they may be made of a differentmaterial. The second column spacers 150 may have a width 152 that isless than or generally equal to 100 nm, e.g., less than or generallyequal to 36 nm. The spacers 150 may define a width 154 between adjacentspacers 150 that is generally less than or equal to 1 F, ¾ F, ½ F, or ¼F.

After forming the second group of column spaces 150, the column-gatetrench 152 may be formed, as illustrated by FIG. 11. The column-gatetrench 152 may be formed by generally anisotropically etching theexposed regions between the second group of column spacers 150. Thecolumn-gate trenches 152 may be generally parallel to each other and thecolumn isolation trenches 142, and they may generally extend in theX-direction. The column-gate trenches 152 may have a depth 154 that isboth less than the depth 144 (FIG. 6) of the column isolation trenches142 and greater than the depth of the upper doped region 112.

Next, a column-segmenting mask 156 may be formed, as illustrated by FIG.12. The column-segmenting mask 156, like the other masks discussed, maybe a soft mask or a hard mask formed with photolithography or otherpatterning processes. The column-segmenting mask 156 may define maskedregions 158 and exposed regions 160. The masked regions 158 may extendgenerally in the Y-direction, and they may be generally straight andgenerally parallel to each other. In other embodiments, though, themasked regions 158 may undulate, vary in width, or be segmented. Themasked regions 158 may have a width generally equal to or less than F.The exposed regions 160 may be wider than the masked regions 158, andtogether, the exposed region 160 and a masked region 158 may generallydefine the pitch 161 of the column-segmenting mask 156. Thecolumn-segmenting mask 156 may be formed from photoresist or it may be ahard mask, for instance. A portion of the column-segmenting mask 156 maybe disposed in the trenches 152.

The substrate 110 may then be etched, as illustrated by FIG. 13. Etchingthe substrate 110 may include etching the substrate 110 with a generallyanisotropic etch that selectively removes material from the lower dopedregion 114. This may form deeper portions 162 of the column-gatetrenches 152.

After forming the deeper portions 162, the column-segmenting mask 156may be removed, as illustrated by FIG. 14, and the substrate 110 may bepartially or substantially planarized, as illustrated by FIG. 15.Planarizing the substrate 110 may include selectively etching the secondgroup of column spacers 150 and the vertical projections 148, or thisprocess may include planarizing these structures withchemical-mechanical planarization. In other embodiments a portion or allof the second group of column spacers 150 and the vertical projections148 may be left on the substrate 110 and removed during subsequentsteps.

Next, a column-gate dielectric 164 may be formed, as illustrated by FIG.16. The column-gate dielectric 164 may be deposited, grown, or otherwiseformed, and it may substantially or entirely cover the exposed portionsof the upper doped region 112 and the lower doped region 114. Thecolumn-gate dielectric 164 may include, consist of, or consistsessentially of a variety of dielectric materials, such as oxide (e.g.,silicon dioxide), oxynitride, or high-dielectric constant materials likehafnium dioxide, zirconium dioxide, and titanium dioxide, for example.

After forming the column-gate dielectric 164, in some embodiments, acolumn gate 166 may be formed, as illustrated by FIG. 17. The columngate 166 may be made of a conductive material, such as a metal or dopedpolysilicon, and it may be formed by depositing the conductive materialon the substrate 110 until an overburden is formed and, then, etchingthe conductive material until the column gate 166 is recessed below theupper doped region 112. In some embodiments, the column gate 166 is notrecessed into the deeper portions 162 of the column-gate trenches 152such that the column gate 166 is generally continuous in the X-directionbetween deeper portions 162.

Next, a column-gate cover 168 may be formed on the substrate 110, asillustrated by FIG. 18. The column-gate cover 168 may be a dielectricmaterial, such as an oxide, nitride, or other appropriate material. Insome embodiments, the column-gate cover 168 may be formed by depositinga dielectric material on the substrate 110 and then planarizing thedielectric material with an etch or chemical-mechanical planarization.

After forming the column-gate cover 168, a row mask 170 may be formed,as illustrated by FIG. 19. The row mask 170 may include a plurality oflines that generally extend in the Y-direction. In some embodiments,these lines are generally parallel, generally straight, and of generallyuniform width in the Y-direction. In other embodiments, though, theselines may undulate, vary in width, or be segmented. The row mask 170 maygenerally define masked regions 172 and exposed regions 174, whichtogether may repeat in the X-direction with a pitch 176. The pitch 176may be generally equal to one-half of the pitch 161 (FIG. 12) of thecolumn-segmenting mask 156. The mask 170 may be aligned in theX-direction such that alternating exposed regions 172 of the row mask170 overlap an edge 178 of the deeper portion 162 of the column-deeptrench 152 (an arrangement that is more clearly illustrated by apost-etch view in FIG. 20). The width of the masked region 172 may begenerally equal to or less than F, ¾ F, or ½ F. The row mask 170 may bemade of photoresist or it may be a hard mask. In some embodiments, therow mask 170 may be formed by double pitching a structure formed withphotolithography to form sub-photo lithographic features, or othersub-photolithographic techniques may be used, such as a resist-reflowprocess or a resist-undercut process in which a hard mask is undercutwith a wet etch. (Double-pitching refers to the process of formingsidewall spacers on a patterned structure to double the number ofstructures defined by the patterned structure.)

Next, the substrate 110 may be etched to form fin rows 180 separated byrow-gate trenches 182, as illustrated by FIG. 20. The row-gate trenches182 may be formed by generally anisotropically the etching exposedregions 174 defined by the row mask 170. The row-gate trenches 182 mayextend into the substrate 110 to a depth that overlaps the deeperportion 162 of the column-gate trenches 152. In some embodiments, therow-gate trenches 182 do not extend to the bottom of the deeper portion162, leaving a portion of the column gate 166 extending between fin rows180.

After forming the row-gate trenches 182, a row-gate dielectric 184 maybe formed, as illustrated by FIG. 21. The row-gate dielectric 184 may begrown, deposited, or otherwise formed, and it may include one or more ofthe dielectric materials described above with reference to thecolumn-gate dielectric 164.

After forming the row-gate dielectric 184, row gates 186, 187, 188, and189 may be formed, as illustrated by FIG. 22. In this embodiment, therow gates 186, 187, 188, and 189 may be formed with a sidewall-spacerprocess. A film of a conductive material, such as TiN, other appropriatemetals, or doped polysilicon, may be deposited on the substrate 110 and,then, anisotropically etched to leave a conductive sidewall spacer 186or 188 on either side of each fin row 180. The row gates 186, 187, 188,and 189 may overlap the upper doped region 112. In some embodiments, rowgates 186 and 187 may be coupled to one another and at generally thesame voltage, or in other embodiments, they may be controlledindependently. Similarly, row gates 188 and 189 may be coupled to onanother or they may be controlled independently.

Next, a dielectric material 190 may be formed on the substrate 110, asillustrated by FIG. 23. The dielectric material 190 may be an oxide,nitride, or other appropriate material, and it may isolate gates 186,187, 188, and 189 associated with adjacent fin rows 180.

After forming the dielectric material 190, the substrate 110 may beplanarized, as illustrated by FIG. 24. The substrate 110 may beplanarized with an etch or chemical-mechanical planarization. In someembodiments, planarization exposes the top portion of the upper dopedregion 112 for establishing electrical contact with subsequently-formeddata lines and data elements.

This process may produce an array of cells 192 each with threetransistors: one transistor controlled by the row gates 188 and 189, onetransistor controlled by the column-segment gate 210, and one transistorcontrolled by the row gates 186 and 187. These transistors are describedbelow. The resulting array is illustrated by the perspective view ofFIG. 24, and an example of an individual cell is illustrated by FIGS.25-30. The semiconductor portion of each cell in this embodiment isillustrated by FIGS. 25 and 26, and other aspects of an individual cellare illustrated by FIGS. 27-30.

As depicted by FIGS. 25 and 26, each cell 192 may include two fins 194and 196 that are partitioned by a common cavity 198 that extends betweenthe fins 194 and 196. The fin 194 may include two legs 200 and 202 thatmay be disposed on either side of the cavity 198, and the fin 196 mayinclude two legs 204 and 206 that may also be disposed on either side ofthe cavity 198. In some embodiments, the cavity 198 changes depthbetween the legs 204 and 206 to form an elevated portion 208 that spansbetween the legs 204 and 206. The legs 200, 202, 204, and 206 mayinclude a distal portion that is formed from the upper doped region 112and a lower portion that is formed from the lower doped region 114. Asexplained below, fin 194 may form an AND gate with a pair of stackedtransistors, and the fin 196 may form a single transistor.

FIG. 27 is an exploded view of portions of the example of a single cell192. The cell 192 may include the semiconductor portion described withreference to FIGS. 25 and 26, a column-gate segment 210, and the rowgates 186, 187, 188, and 189. The column-gate segment 210 may be formedfrom the column gate 166 by partitioning the column gate 166 duringformation of the row-gate trenches 182, as illustrated by FIG. 20. Thecolumn-gate segment 210 may be separated, e.g., electrically isolated,from other column-gate segments 210 formed from the same column gate 166and other column gates 166. Each column-gate segment 210 may include aburied member 212 and two risers 214 and 216. The risers 214 and 216 mayextend generally vertically and generally perpendicularly from theburied member 212, and the buried member 212 may electrically connectthe risers 214 and 216 to each other. The riser 216 may include a lip218 that extends generally perpendicularly from the riser 216 and isshaped to overlap the elevated portion 208. In some embodiments, the topof the risers 214 and 216 generally do not overlap the upper dopedregion 212. The column-gate segment 210 may be generally complementaryto the cavity 198.

Though not shown in FIG. 27, the cell 192 may also include theinsulating members described above: the dielectric 146, the column-gatedielectric 164, the row-gate dielectric 184, and the dielectric material190.

FIGS. 28, 29, and 30 illustrate one use for the structures describedabove. FIG. 28 is a perspective view of portions the cell 192,illustrating one way in which the cell 192 may be configured to form adata cell, and FIG. 29 is a perspective view of conductive channels thatmay be formed during the operation of the cell 192. FIG. 30 is a circuitdiagram of an example of a data cell that may be formed with the cell192 or other cells.

As illustrated by FIGS. 28 and 30, the cell 192 may be connected to adata element 219, a voltage source Vcc, a data line DL, a read controlline CL READ, and a write control line CL WRITE. In some embodiments,the data line may be referred to as a digit line, and the control linesmay be referred to as word lines. In these figures, connections to thecell 192 are represented in schematic form to emphasize that the cell192 may be connected to other devices with a variety of techniques. Oneexample of a process for forming these connections is illustrated bysubsequent figures.

As illustrated by FIG. 28, the data line DL may connect to the legs 202and 206. The voltage source may connect to the leg 200, and the dataelements 219 may connect to both the leg 204 and the column-gate segment210 (viewable in FIG. 27). The data element 219 may connect to thecolumn-gate segment 210 via the riser 216 and the lip 218. The readcontrol line may connect to or be formed from the row gates 186 and 187,and the write control line may connect to or be formed from the row gate189. In some embodiments, the row gate 188 may be unused during some orall of the following operations of the cell 192, or it may connect tothe write control line.

When a voltage (e.g., a voltage greater than the threshold voltage orless than the threshold voltage, depending on the doping of the upperdoped regions 112 and the lower doped region 114) is applied to the rowgate 189, the cell 192 may form a conductive channel 220, an example ofwhich is illustrated by FIG. 29. In some embodiments, the channel 220may include a generally vertical portion 222 and a generally horizontalportion 224, e.g., these portions 222 and 224 may generally form anL-shape. (Hereinafter, these portions are referred to as the verticalportion 222 and the horizontal portion 224, which is not to suggest thatthese features or any others are necessarily exactly vertical,horizontal, or orthogonal). The vertical portion 222 may include agenerally nonconductive notch 226 in the upper part of the verticalportion 222.

In operation, the channel 220 may conduct current between the leg 204and the leg 206. In some embodiments, the distal portion of the legs 204and 206 may be referred to as a source and a drain. The current betweenthe leg 204 and the leg 206 is represented both by arrows 228,corresponding to current flowing into the channel 220 from the leg 204,and by arrows 230, corresponding to current exiting the channel 220through the leg 206. In other embodiments, or other operations, thedirection of current may be reversed. When a sub-threshold voltage isapplied to the row gate 189, the cell 192 may not establish the channel220, and current may generally not low from the upper doped regions 212of the legs 204 and 206 through the lower doped region 214. Thus, insome embodiments, current flowing between the legs 204 and 206 may becontrolled by the voltage of the row gate 189. (As used herein, asub-threshold voltage is a voltage that allows current to flow and maybe a voltage less than the threshold voltage or a voltage greater thanthe threshold voltage, depending on the configuration of the cell, e.g.,a PMOS-type cell or an NMOS-type cell).

Current flowing between the legs 200 and 202 may be partially orsubstantially entirely controlled by two-different voltages: the voltageof the control read lines CL READ and the voltage of the column-gatesegment 210 (FIG. 27). As illustrated by FIG. 29, upper channel portions232, 234, 236, and 238 may be established by electric fields emanatingfrom row gates 186 and 187. Each of these upper channel portions 232,234, 236, and 238 may include a generally vertical portion and agenerally horizontal portion, e.g., they may generally have an L-shape.The upper channel portions 232 and 234 may be formed in the leg 200, andthe upper channel portions 236 and 238 may be formed in the leg 202.

The upper channel portions 232 and 234 may be connected to the upperchannel portions 236 and 238 by a lower channel 240. The lower channel240 may be generally orthogonal to both the generally horizontal and thegenerally vertical portions of the upper channel portions 232, 234, 236,and 238. In some embodiments, the lower channel 240 generally extends inthe X-direction and generally has a U-shaped cross section. The lowerchannel 240 may be formed by electric fields emanating from thecolumn-gate segment 210 (FIG. 27).

In operation, current may flow between the legs 200 and 202 when boththe upper channel portions 232, 234, 236, and 238 and the lower channel240 are formed. Thus, the fin 194 may form an AND gate with a pair ofupper transistors that are controlled by the row gates 186 and 187 and alower transistor that is controlled by the column-gate segment 210. Anexample of current flow is illustrated by arrows 242 and 244, depictingcurrent flow into the upper channel portions 232 and 234. These currents242 and 244 may flow through the lower channel 240 and, then, out theupper channel portions 236 and 238, as illustrated by arrows 246 and248. The upper channel portions 232 and 234 may be said to be connectedin series to the upper channel portions 236 and 238 by the lower channel240. In other embodiments or other operations, the direction of currentmay be reversed.

FIG. 30 illustrates the cell 192 (and other cells in accordance with thepresent technique) in circuit schematic form. The illustrated cell 192may include the data element 219, a transistor 250, and a driver 252.The data element 219 may include a variety of different types of dataelements. For example, the data element 219 may include a sensor, suchas an image sensor, e.g., a charge-coupled device or photodiode, or amemory element. Among the various types of envisioned memory elementsare volatile memory elements, such as dynamic random access memory(DRAM), and nonvolatile memory elements, such as phase-change memoryelements (e.g., ovonic devices), floating gate memory elements,ferroelectric memory elements, magnetoresistive memory elements, andsemiconductor-oxide-nitride-oxide-semiconductor (SONOS) memory elements.

The transistor 250 illustrated by FIG. 30 may be formed by the fin 196of FIG. 28, and the driver 252 illustrated by FIG. 30 may be formed bythe fin 194 of FIG. 28. In some embodiments, the driver 252 may includetwo access transistors 254 and 256 and an amplifying transistor 258. Theaccess transistors 254 and 256 may be formed by legs 200 and 202 of thefin 194, as illustrated by FIG. 28, and the amplifying transistor 258may be formed by the portion of the fin 194 adjacent the column-gatesegment 210, as illustrated by FIG. 27. The access transistors 254 and256 may be referred to as read-access devices, and the transistor 250may be referred to as a write-access device. Other embodiments mayinclude other types of read-access and write-access devices, such asdiodes.

The cell 192 illustrated by FIG. 30 may output data from the dataelement 219. In operation, the data element 219 may apply a voltage tothe gate of the amplifying transistor 258, and the amplifying transistor258 may amplify this signal. The amplifying transistor 258 may beconfigured to operate in its triode region, and it may drive a currentbetween its source and its drain that varies according to the voltagefrom the data element 219, e.g., the amplifying transistor 258 mayconduct a current that is generally proportional to the voltage of itsgate. To conduct current through the amplifying transistor 258, theaccess transistors 254 and 256 may close a path between the voltagesource Vcc and the data line DL. When a read signal is asserted on theread control line CL READ, the access transistors 254 and 256 may entera conductive state, allowing current to flow between the data line DLand the voltage source Vcc, through the amplifying transistor 258. Themagnitude of the current to or from the data line DL may be controlled,in part or substantially entirely, by a voltage that the data element219 applies to the gate of the amplifying transistor 258. Thus, in someembodiments, current flowing between the data line DL and the voltagesource Vcc may be indicative of (e.g., generally proportional to) a datavalue being output from the data element 219.

Some embodiments of the driver 252 are believed to increase the speedand accuracy with which the data element 219 conveys data through thedata line DL. Because the current flowing into the data line DL issupplied by the voltage source Vcc rather than the data element 219, thespeed with which the data line DL changes voltage when reading data maybe at least partially decoupled from the size of the data element or itssignal. Thus, relatively small data elements 219 that supply relativelysmall currents may still rapidly change the digit line DL voltage.

In some embodiments, the data element 219 may convey multiple bits,e.g., 2, 3, 4, 5 or more bits of data, through relatively small changesin the voltage applied to the gate of the amplifying transistor 258.These relatively small differences in voltage may be amplified by thedriver 252 and output via the data line DL. Thus, the resolution of thedata element 219 may be increased by amplifying signals with the driver252.

In some embodiments, such as those in memory devices, data may bewritten to the data element 219. To write data, a signal may be assertedon the write control line CL WRITE, and this signal may turn on thetransistor 250. When the transistor 250 is turned on, current may flowfrom the data line DL to the data element 219, and this current maychange a property of the data element 219, e.g., a stored charge ordegree of crystallintity. The change in the property of the data element219 may be used to store data.

FIGS. 31-38 illustrate an example of a process for connecting the cell192 of FIG. 28 to a capacitor memory element. As illustrated by FIG. 31digit lines 260 may be formed on the substrate 110. The digit lines 260may generally extend in the X-direction, and they may connect to thelegs 206 and 202 of the cells 192. The data lines 260 may be generallystraight, but in other embodiments they may have other shapes, e.g.,they may undulate, vary in width, or be segmented. In some embodiments,the data lines 260 may be spaced above the legs 202 and 206, and theymay be connected to the legs 202 and 206 through a via, a contact, orother structure.

Next, a dielectric body 262 may be formed on the data lines 260, asillustrated by FIG. 32, and vias 264 may be opened through thedielectric body 262, as illustrated by FIG. 33. The vias 264 may exposethe legs 200 in each of the cells 192. The vias 264 may be formed bypatterning the substrate 110 with photolithography and then generallyanisotropically etching the substrate 110 to remove exposed portions ofthe dielectric body 262.

After opening the vias 264, contacts 266 may be formed in the vias 264and voltage-source connectors 268 may be formed, as illustrated by FIG.34. In some embodiments, the contacts 266 may be formed by depositing agenerally conductive material, such as one or more of the conductivematerials described above, on the substrate 110 and etching theconductive material until the conductive material remains primarilyinside the vias 264. In some embodiments, the power-source connectors268 may be formed by depositing a generally conductive film andpatterning and etching the conductive film. The illustratedvoltage-source connectors 268 extend generally in the Y-direction. Inother embodiments, they may extend in other directions, e.g., theX-direction, or they may be formed from a conductive plate.

Next, another dielectric body 270 may be formed on the substrate 110, asillustrated by FIG. 35. The dielectric body 270 may be made of an oxide,a nitride, a spun-on dielectric, or other appropriate materials.

After forming the dielectric body 270, vias 272 may be formed throughthe dielectric body 270 and the dielectric body 262, as illustrated byFIG. 36. The vias 272 may be formed by patterning the substrate 110 withphotolithography and generally anisotropically etching the substrate110. In some embodiments, the vias 272 may overlap both the leg 204 andthe riser 216 of the column-gate segment 210. In some embodiments, theetch that opens the vias 272 may selectively remove a portion of thecolumn-gate cover 168 to expose part of the column-gate segments 210. Incertain embodiments, this etch may not remove a substantial portion ofthe protective dielectric 190 that covers the row gates 186, 187, 188,and 190, such that these structures remained generally isolated from thecolumn-gate segment 210.

Next, capacitor plates 274 may be formed on the substrate 110, asillustrated by FIG. 37. The capacitor plates 274 may include an upper,cup-shaped portion 276 and a lower contact 278. The cup-shaped portion276 may be formed by depositing a sacrificial layer and, then, etchingholes that are complementary to the capacitor plates 274 in thesacrificial layer. After forming the holes, a generally conformal filmmay be deposited on the sacrificial layer and planarized, e.g., withchemical-mechanical planarization, to remove the portion of theconformal film disposed outside of the holes, thereby leaving thecup-shaped portion 276. The capacitor plates 274 may be made of aconductive material, e.g., a metal, doped polysilicon, or otherappropriate materials. The lower contact 278 may connect to both the leg204 and the riser 216 of the column-gate segment 210. In subsequentsteps, a capacitor dielectric may be deposited on the capacitor plates274, and a common capacitor plate may be formed by depositing aconductive film on the substrate 110, thereby forming capacitors.

In operation, the capacitor plates 274 may store data by accumulating acharge. The size of the charge may correspond to particular data values,e.g., a small charge may correspond to a zero and a larger charge maycorrespond to a one. In some embodiments, the range of stored charge maybe divided into smaller increments corresponding to multiple bit datavalues, e.g., two, three, four, or more bits.

FIG. 38 illustrates an example of a single cell 192 connected to thecapacitor plate 274. In this embodiment, the capacitor plate 274 is thedata element, the fin 196 forms an access device controlled by the rowgate 189, and the fin 194 forms a driver controlled by both the rowgates 186 and 187 and the column-gate segment 210 (FIG. 27). When therow gates 186 and 187 are energized beyond a threshold voltage, currentmay flow from the voltage-source connector 268 to the data line 260depending on the magnitude of the voltage asserted by the capacitorplate 274 on the column-gate segment 210 (FIG. 27). The magnitude ofthis current from the voltage source may indicate the value of datastored by the capacitor plate 274 by changing the voltage of the dataline 260. For example, a rise in the voltage of the digit line 260 maycorrespond to a stored data value of 1, and a decrease in the voltage ofthe digit line 260 may correspond to a stored data value of 0.

FIG. 39 illustrates one example of an array 280 of the cells 192. Theillustrated array 280 may include a plurality of cells 192, aread-control driver 282, a write-control driver 284, a data sensor 286,a data driver 288, and a voltage source 290. As described above, thecells 192 may each include a capacitor plate 274, the column-gatesegment 210, and the legs 200, 202, 204, and 206. The legs 202 and 206of the cells 192 may connect to the data driver 288 and the data sensor286, and the leg 200 may connect to the voltage source 290 via thevoltage-source connector 268.

In operation, the data driver 288 may output a voltage or currentthrough the data lines 260 to write data to the capacitor plates 274,and the data sensor 286 may read, e.g. categorize into discretecategories corresponding to digital values, currents or voltages outputby the cells 192 on the data lines 260. The read-control driver 282 maybe configured to select cells 192 for reading by asserting a voltage onthe row gates 186 and 187 of a selected cell 192. In some embodiments,these row gates 186 and 187 may be referred to as read control lines orread word lines. The write-control driver 284 may be configured toselect a cell 192 by asserting a voltage on the row gate 189 associatedwith that cell 192. The row gates 189 may be referred to in someembodiments as write-control lines or write word lines.

The illustrated cells 192 in the array 280 may be arranged in agenerally rectangular lattice (e.g., they may have generally similarorientations and may be arranged in generally orthogonal rows andcolumns). In other embodiments, they may have other arrangements. Forexample, the cells 192 may be arranged in offsetting rows in a hexagonallattice, or the cells 192 may be arranged with different orientations inadjacent rows, as illustrated by an array 292 of FIG. 40. In thisembodiment, the cells 192 may be oriented in a first direction, and thecells 192′ in adjacent rows may be oriented in an opposite direction andoffset by approximately one-half of a cell 192.

FIGS. 41-63 illustrate another example of a process for forming a datacell with a driver. In the present example, the process begins withobtaining a substrate 294 in the state illustrated by FIG. 41. Thesubstrate 294 may be obtained by executing (or contracting with othersto execute) the steps illustrated by FIGS. 1-10 and described above.Accordingly, the substrate 294 may include the previously-describedupper doped region 112, lower doped region 114, column isolationtrenches 142, dielectric 146, vertical projections 148, and second groupof column spacers 150.

In some embodiments, the substrate 294 of FIG. 41 may be different fromthe substrate 110 of FIG. 10 in at least one regard. The gaps 295between adjacent column spacers 150 may be wider than the gaps 154 (FIG.10). The wider gaps 295 may be made wider by adjusting the spacing ofthe column mask 126 (FIG. 3) to increase the distance between pairs ofthe column isolation trenches 142.

Next, a third column spacer 296 may be formed, as illustrated by FIG.42. The third column spacer 296 may be formed by depositing a film onthe substrate 294 and then generally anisotropically etching that filmto remove the film from horizontal surfaces. The third column spacer 296may generally define a gap 298 in the wider gap 295. In someembodiments, the gap 298 may be generally equal to the gap 154 (FIG. 3).The third column spacer 296 may be made of a different material from thesecond group of column spacers 150 and the vertical projections 148 tofacilitate selective removal of the third column spacer 296. Forexample, the second group of column spacers 150 and the verticalprojections 148 may be an oxide and the third column spacer 296 may bepolysilicon.

After forming the third column spacer 296, a masking material 300 may beformed on the substrate 294, as illustrated by FIG. 43. The maskingmaterial 300 may be formed with an overburden 302 to planarize thesubstrate 294. In some embodiments, the masking material 300 is adifferent material from the third column spacer 296 to facilitateselective removal of these materials. For example, the masking material300 may be an oxide.

Next, the substrate 294 may be planarized, as illustrated by FIG. 44.Planarizing may include etching the substrate 294 with an etch that isgenerally nonselective among the materials being etched (such as an etchreferred to in the art as an “alligator etch”) or polishing thesubstrate 294 with chemical-mechanical planarization.

After planarizing the substrate 294, a column-notch mask 302 may beformed, as illustrated by FIG. 45. The column-notch mask 302 may be ahard mask (e.g., an oxide hard mask), or it may be made of photoresist.The column-notch mask 302 may generally cover the substrate 294 with theexception of the space above one of the third column spacers 296 betweenpairs of the column isolation trenches 142. In the illustratedembodiment, an exposed region 304 of the column-notch mask 302 may begenerally aligned with the left third column spacer 296. The exposedregion 304 may be made wider than the left third column spacer 296 toincrease the alignment margin in the Y-direction, as the structures 150and 300 adjacent the left third column spacer 296 may function as a hardmask.

Next, a column notch 306 may be formed in the substrate 294, asillustrated by FIG. 46. In some embodiments, the column notch 306 may beformed by selectively etching the third column spacer 296 disposed underthe exposed region 304 and, then, using the second group of columnspacers 150 and the masking material 300 as a mask to etch through theupper doped region 112. In embodiments in which the third column spacer296 is made of polysilicon, the third column spacer 296 may be removedwith a tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) etch. Removing one of thethird column spacers 296 may form a gap 308 that may generally definethe width of the column notch 306. In some embodiments, the gap 308 maybe narrower than or generally equal to 1 F, ¾ F, or ½ F.

After forming the column notch 306, the column-notch mask 302 may beremoved and the column notch 306 may be partially or entirely filledwith a column-notch dielectric 310, as illustrated by FIG. 47. Thecolumn-notch dielectric 310 may be formed by depositing a dielectricmaterial, such as an oxide like tetra-ethyl-ortho-silicate (TEOS), inthe column notch 306 until the column notch 306 is substantially filled.In some embodiments, the column-notch dielectric 310 may include one ormore liner materials, such as an oxide and a nitride liner, adjacent theupper doped region 112 and the lower doped region 114.

Next, in some embodiments, a second column-notch mask 312 may be formedon the substrate 294, as illustrated by FIG. 48. The second column-notchmask 312 may be a hard mask (e.g., an oxide hard mask) or it may be madeof photoresist, and it may define a plurality of exposed regions 314. Inthis embodiment, the exposed regions 314 may be arranged in a generallyrectangular lattice, but in other embodiments, they may be arrangeddifferently, e.g., in a generally hexagonal lattice. The illustratedexposed regions 314 may define a generally cuboid volume, but in otherembodiments, they may have other shapes, e.g., they may generally definea right-elliptical-cylindrical volume or a right-circular-cylindricalvolume. In this embodiment, the exposed regions 314 are generallydisposed over the remaining third column spacer 296 and are generallyaligned with this structure. To increase alignment margins in theY-direction, the exposed regions 314 may have a width 316 that is widerthan a width 318 of the remaining third column spacer 296.

Next, as illustrated by FIG. 49, column-trench segments 319 may beformed in the substrate 294. The column-trench segments 319 may beformed in two steps. In some embodiments, a portion of the third columnspacer 296 disposed under the exposed regions 314 may be removed, forexample, with a TMAH wet etch or a dry etch. This portion of the thirdcolumn spacer 296 may be removed with an etch that is generallyselective to the third column spacer 296 and not to either the secondcolumn spacer 150 or the masking material 300. As a result of thisselectivity, in some embodiments, a substantial portion of thesematerials 150 and 300 may remain on the substrate 294, therebyfunctioning as a hard mask that defines a width 320 that is narrowerthan the width 316 of the exposed regions 314. After forming an openingthrough the third column spacer 296, the remainder of the column-trenchsegments 319 may be formed. In some embodiments, the upper dopped region112 and the lower doped region 114 may be generally anisotropicallyetched, using the second column-notch mask 312 to define features in theX-direction and both the second group of column spacers 150 and themasking material 300 to define features in the Y-direction. Thecolumn-trench segments 319 may have a width that is generally equal tothe width 308 of the column notch 306.

While not shown, the bottom of one or both sides of the column-trenchsegment 319 may be implanted with a high Vth implant to suppressN-channel formation of parasitic devices. For example, the right side321 of the column-trench segment 319 may be implanted with an angledimplant.

After forming the column-trench segments 319, the second column-notchmask 312 may be removed, and a column-gate dielectric 322 may be formed,as illustrated by FIG. 50. The column-gate dielectric 322 may includeany of the materials described above with reference to the column-gatedielectric 164 illustrated by FIG. 21.

After forming the column-gate dielectric 322, column-gate segments 324may be formed, as illustrated by FIG. 51. The column-gate segments 324may be formed by depositing, e.g., with chemical-vapor deposition orphysical-vapor deposition, a conductive material, such as a metal ordoped polysilicon (e.g., an n+ doped polysilicon), on the substrate 294.In some embodiments, the conductive material may then be etched torecess the conductive material into the column-trench segments 319. Thecolumn-gate segments 324 may generally extend in the X-direction and maybe generally isolated from other column-gate segments 324 at this stageof the process.

Next, the substrate 294 may be planarized, as illustrated by FIG. 52.Planarizing may include removing some or substantially all of thematerials disposed above the upper doped region 112. The substrate 294may be planarized with chemical-mechanical planarization or a generallynon-selective etch, such as an alligator etch.

Following planarization, a row mask 326 may be formed on the substrate294, as illustrated by FIG. 53. The row mask 326 may be a soft mask or ahard mask, and it may generally define a plurality of masked regions 328and exposed regions 330, both of which may generally extend in theY-direction. In some embodiments, the width of the masked regions 328may be defined with sub-photolithographic techniques, such as doublepitching or reflowing a mask formed with the photolithography. Themasked regions 328 may be generally parallel to each other and generallystraight, or in other embodiments, they may have other shapes, e.g.,they may undulate side to side, they may be discontinuous, or they mayvary in width along the Y-axis. In some embodiments, the width of themasked region 328 is generally equal to or less than F, ¾ F, or ½ F. Thewidth 330 may be larger than the width 328, e.g., in some embodiments,the width 330 may be generally equal to F. The masked regions 328 may begenerally aligned with, and partially or substantially entirely disposedover, opposite ends of the column-gate segments 324.

Next, row-gate trenches 332 may be formed, as illustrated by FIG. 54.The row-gate trenches 332 may be formed by generally anisotropicallyetching the substrate 294 between the masked regions 328. The row-gatetrenches 332 may define fin rows 334. The row-gate trenches 332 may havea depth 336 that is greater than a depth 338 of the column notch 306,but in some embodiments, not as large as a depth 340 of thecolumn-trench segments 319.

After forming the row-gate trenches 332, the row mask 326 may beremoved, and a row-gate dielectric 342 may be formed on the substrate294, as illustrated by FIG. 55. The row-gate dielectric 341 may includeany of the materials described above with reference to the column-gatedielectric 164 in FIG. 21.

Next, row gates 342, 344, 346, and 348 may be formed, as illustrated byFIG. 56. The row gates 342, 344, 346, and 348 may be formed with asidewall-spacer process, e.g., by depositing a blanket film of aconductive material and, then, generally anisotropically etching theconductive material to remove the conductive material from horizontalsurfaces, while leaving some conductive material adjacent generallyvertical surfaces. The row gates 342, 344, 346, and 348 may be made ofor include a variety of conductive materials, such as metals (e.g., TiN)or doped polysilicon. The illustrated row gates 342, 344, 346, and 348generally extend in the X-direction and may be generally perpendicularto the column-gate segments 324.

FIG. 56 illustrates an array of cells 350, and portions of an individualcell 350 are illustrated in greater detail by FIG. 57. Specifically,FIG. 57 illustrates an exploded view of the row gates 342, 344, 346, and348, the column-gate segment 324, and a semiconductive portion 358 ofthe cell 350, which may be formed by the upper doped region 112 and thelower doped region 114. To clearly display these features, theinsulating portions of the cell 350 are not shown in FIG. 57. The cells350 may consume a horizontal surface area of generally equal to or lessthan 30 F², 25 F², or 18 F².

The column-gate segment 324 may be generally symmetric and may includerisers 352 and 354 joined by a buried member 356. In some embodiments,the risers 352 and 354 may be disposed at or near opposite distalportions of the buried member 356. The risers 352 and 354 may begenerally perpendicular to the buried member 356, which may extendgenerally horizontally in the X-direction. In some embodiments, thecolumn-gate segment 324 may be characterized as generally having aU-shape. The column-gate segment 324 may be generally electricallyisolated from other column-gate segments in other cells 350, with theexception of subsequently-formed connections. Further, in someembodiments, the column-gate segment 324 may also be generallyelectrically isolated from the row gates 342, 344, 346, and 348, againwith the exception of some subsequently-formed connections.

The semiconductive portion 350 may include two fins 360 and 362 and acavity 364. Each of the fins 360 and 362 may include three legs 366,368, 370, 372, 374, and 376. In other embodiments, the fins 360 and 362may include more or fewer legs within a single cell 350. The legs 366and 368 and the legs 372 and 374 may be separated from one another bynotches 378 and 380. These notches 378 and 380 may be deeper than theupper doped region 112, but in some embodiments, not as deep as a height382 of the fins 360 and 362. The other legs 368 and 370 and 374 and 376may be separated from one another by the cavity 364, which may extendbeyond the height 382 of the fins 360 and 362. The shape of the cavity364 may be generally complementary to the shape of the column-gatesegment 324.

FIGS. 58-63 illustrate one way in which the cell 350 may be connected toa data element, such as the capacitor plate 274. In some embodiments,the cell 350 may be connected to the capacitor plate 274, the digitlines 260, and the voltage-source connector 268 with a modified versionthe process described above with reference to FIGS. 31-38. In thisembodiment, the positions of the contact 266 and the lower contact 278may be shifted relative to the data line 260 to align the contacts 266and 278 with certain portions of the cell 350. Specifically, the dataline 260 may be connected to the legs 366 and 372, and the contact 266may connect the voltage-source connector 268 to the leg 370. The lowercontact 278 may connect the cup-shaped portion 276 of the capacitorplate 274 to both the legs 374 and 376 and the riser 354 of thecolumn-gate segment 324. Although not shown in FIGS. 58-63, the cell 350may also include the dielectric bodies 262 and 270 and other insulatorsillustrated by FIG. 37.

In operation, the cell 350 may behave similar or identically to thecircuit illustrated by FIG. 30. The row gates 342 and 344 may functionas read control lines CL READ, and the row gates 346 and 348 mayfunction as a write control lines CL WRITE. The fin 360 may function asthe driver 252, and the fin 362 may function as the transistor 250.

The cross-sectional views of FIGS. 61-63 illustrate current through thecell 350. To write data to the cell 350, the row gates 346 and 348 maybe energized, and the capacitor plate 274 may be charged or discharged,as illustrated by FIG. 61. The charge of the capacitor plate 274 may beadjusted by a current between the capacitor plate 274 and the data line260, as indicated by the arrow 360. The current 360 may flow from theupper doped portion 112 of the leg 372, through a channel in the lowerdoped portion 114, to the upper doped portion 112 of the leg 374.

The channel in the lower doped portion 114 may be formed by electricfields emanating from the row gates 346 and 348 (FIG. 58). In someembodiments, the cell 350 may form two, generally parallel channels eachadjacent one of the row gates 346 and 348 on either side of the fin 362.These channels may generally have a U-shape, as indicated by the arrow360 in FIG. 61, and they may form a conductive path around thecolumn-notch dielectric 310, joining the upper doped regions 112 of thelegs 372 and 374.

The current 360 (FIG. 61) may flow towards or away from the capacitorplate 274, depending on the embodiment, the data value being written tothe capacitor plate 274, and the data value formerly written to thecapacitor plate 274. In some embodiments, a portion of this current 360may also charge, or discharge, the column-gate segment 324. Once thecharge of the capacitor 274 is adjusted to reflect the data value beingwritten, the row gates 346 and 340 at may be de-energized, closing theconductive channel between the legs 372 and 374 and impeding the chargeon the capacitor plate 274 from changing.

An example of a read operation will now be described with reference toFIGS. 62 and 63. To read data, a current between the voltage-sourceconnector 268 and the data line 260 (or a change in voltage produced bythis current) may be categorized as corresponding to a data value, e.g.,0, 1, or a multi-bit digital value. The magnitude of this current may beaffected by data stored by the capacitor plate 274. The voltage of thecapacitor plate 274 may correspond to (e.g., be generally the same as)the voltage of the column-gate segment 324, as this voltage maypropagate through the lower contact portion 278 of the capacitor plate274, through the riser 354 of the column-gate segment 324, across theburied member 356, and into the riser 352. This path is illustrated bythe cross-sectional view of FIG. 63.

An electric field emanating from the column-gate segment 324, and morespecifically, the riser 352, may establish a conductive channel thatextends between the upper doped region 112 of the leg 372 and the upperdoped region 112 of the leg 368. As illustrated by FIG. 62, thisconductive channel may carry a current between the voltage-sourceconnector 268 and the leg 368, as indicated by arrow 362.

When reading data, the row gates 342 and 344 may be energized, andelectric fields from the use or row gates 342 and 344 may establish achannel that carries a current between the leg 368 and the leg 366, asillustrated by arrow 364. In some embodiments, energizing the row gates342 and 344 may establish two conductive channels on either side of thefin 360, and these conductive channels may connect the upper dopedregions 112 of the legs 366 and 368 by extending around the column-notchdielectric 310. The channels from the row gates 342 and 344 and thechannel from the column-gate segment 324 may both generally have aU-shape, and the channels from the row gates 342 and 344 may begenerally orthogonal to the channel from the column-gate segment 324.

During a read operation, current may flow between the voltage-sourceconnector 268 and the data line 260 depending, in part, on the charge ofthe capacitor plate 274. If the capacitor plate 274 is charged, thecolumn-gate segment 324 may also be charged, and an electric field fromthe column-gate segment 324 may form a conductive channel for thecurrent 362. If the capacitor plate 274 is not charged, then, in someembodiments, the column-gate segment 324 may not establish a conductivechannel between the legs 368 and 370, and current may not flow betweenthe voltage-source connector 268 and the data line 260. Current flowduring a read operation may also depend, in part, on the transistorsformed by the legs 368 and 370, as they may establish the part of theconductive path between the voltage-source connector 268 and the dataline 260 that carries the current 364.

The structure illustrated by FIGS. 58-63 may be one example of thecircuit illustrated by FIG. 30. The column-gate segment 324 may drivethe current 362 (FIG. 62) based on the voltage of the capacitor plate274, functioning as the amplifying transistor 258 in the driver 215illustrated by FIG. 30. Similarly, transistors formed by the legs 366and 368 and the row gates 342 and 344 may function as the accesstransistors 254 and 256 in the driver 252 illustrated by FIG. 30.Together, they may form an AND gate.

As noted above, using a driver circuit to transmit a signal indicativeof a data value is believed to facilitate the use of smaller dataelements, allow for faster detection of signals from data elements, andallow for finer resolution of signals from data elements storingmulti-bit data values. In some embodiments, the read is non-destructive,e.g., the charge and corresponding data remains on the capacitor evenafter reading. Further, some embodiments may operate at a speed similarto SRAM. The added signal strength may also be used to lengthen thedigit lines, which may reduce the number of sense amplifiers on a chipand reduce die size. In some embodiments, multiple bits may be stored ona single memory element, and the driver may amplify smaller differencesin signals corresponding to the different data values. Not allembodiments will provide all of these benefits, and some embodiments maybe useful for other reasons and may provide none of these benefits.

While the invention may be susceptible to various modifications andalternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way ofexample in the drawings and have been described in detail herein.However, it should be understood that the invention is not intended tobe limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, the invention isto cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling withinthe spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the followingappended claims.

1. A device, comprising: a first semiconductor fin having a first gate;a second semiconductor fin adjacent the first semiconductor fin andhaving a second gate; and a third gate extending between the firstsemiconductor fin and the second semiconductor fin, wherein the thirdgate is not electrically connected to the first gate or the second gate.2. The device of claim 1, wherein the third gate extends under the firstgate, the second gate, or both.
 3. The device of claim 1, wherein thethird gate does not extend to semiconductor fins other than the firstsemiconductor fin and the second semiconductor fin.
 4. The device ofclaim 1, wherein the first semiconductor fin extends generally parallelto the second semiconductor fin.
 5. The device of claim 1, wherein thefirst semiconductor fin comprises three legs.
 6. The device of claim 5,wherein the three legs each comprise a distal portion that is dopeddifferent from the rest of the leg.
 7. A circuit, comprising: aplurality of data cells each comprising: a data element; and a driverconnected to the data element.
 8. The circuit of claim 7, wherein thedata element comprises a memory element or an imaging element.
 9. Thecircuit of claim 7, wherein the data element comprises a capacitor. 10.The circuit of claim 7, comprising: a read-access device coupled to thedata element; and a data line coupled to the read-access device.
 11. Thecircuit of claim 10, comprising: a read-control line connected to thedriver; and a write-control line connected to a transistor gate of theread-access device.
 12. The circuit of claim 7, wherein the drivercomprises: a write-access device; and an amplifying transistor.
 13. Thecircuit of claim 12, wherein a gate of the amplifying transistor isconnected to the data element.
 14. The circuit of claim 13, wherein thewrite-access device comprises two transistors connected to each other bythe amplifying transistor.
 15. A method, comprising: storing data bychanging a voltage of a capacitor; applying the voltage of the capacitorto a first gate of a first fin field-effect transistor; controlling acurrent through the first fin field-effect transistor at least in partaccording to the voltage of the first gate; and reading the stored databy measuring the current or a change in voltage produced by the current.16. The method of claim 15, comprising applying a read voltage to asecond gate of the first fin field-effect transistor.
 17. The method ofclaim 15, wherein storing data comprises conducting a second currentthrough a second fin field-effect transistor.
 18. The method of claim17, wherein applying the voltage of the capacitor to the first gate ofthe fin field-effect transistor comprises propagating the voltagethrough a conductor that extends between the first fin field-effecttransistor and the second fin field-effect transistor, under the secondgate of the first fin field-effect transistor.
 19. A method, comprising:forming a plurality of insulating trenches in a substrate; forming aplurality of trench segments between the insulating trenches; forming aplurality of fins, wherein the trench segments extend between pairs ofadjacent fins but not between more than four fins.
 20. The method ofclaim 19, wherein the trench segments do not extend between more thantwo adjacent fins.
 21. The method of claim 19, comprising forming gatesin the trench segments before forming the plurality of fins.
 22. Themethod of claim 21, comprising forming a notch between the insulatingtrenches.
 23. The method of claim 19, comprising forming gates adjacentsides of the plurality of fins with side-wall spacers.
 24. A memorydevice, comprising: an array of memory cells, each memory cellcomprising: a capacitor plate; and a first transistor having a gateconnected to the capacitor plate.
 25. The memory device of claim 24,wherein each cell comprises a second transistor connected in series withthe first transistor, wherein the first transistor and the secondtransistor are fin field-effect transistors.